Hit-and-runs on the rise

Daphne O'Donnell has been the victim of two separate hit-and-run accidents.

"I don't understand the conscience they could live with, I could not do that," O'Donnell said.

The most recent hit-and-run was just a few weeks ago. O'Donnell parked her van in front of her son's house in a condominium complex in Westminster.

"We walked out of the house and my car was turned. I parked it parallel to federal and when we came out of the house it was perpendicular to Federal, basically the opposite direction," O'Donnell said.

The car door was pulled two inches from the car, the panel was pulled back, and the axle was out of alignment.

"It was kind of shocking and frustrating and no one left any information," O'Donnell said.

When 9NEWS looked at hit-and-runs by county, we found that Adams County is having a record year.

Hit-and-runs resulting in injury are up 125 percent since 2009.

Last year Adams County only saw one death from a hit-and-run. This year they have had six.

Just last year, Adams county only saw five hit-and-runs resulting in serious injury. This year they've had 20.

Adams County may have seen the largest increase of all the major counties. But almost all of them are seeing an increase in some way or another.

"It is a serious issue in 2012. The numbers are much higher for some reason. It's disturbing that we've seen this trend just in the last couple of years," Tom Raynes, the Executive Director of the Colorado District attorney's Council, said.

Raynes said the hardest part is they don't know the reason.

The state has even added tougher penalties for leaving the scene of an accident, but hit-and-runs are still increasing.

"It's really hard to put your finger on it. There's no good explanation. Is someone impaired by drugs and alcohol. Did they get scared and leave? Or are there new things going on with the economy, like they don't have insurance or a license," Raynes said.

Whatever the reason may be, the hope is that this is just an unfortunate year for drivers.

"I hope this is an aberration because this is something that would be a poor reflection on our community. If we are getting to a point where we are not taking responsibility for our actions that's a bad thing for Colorado," Raynes said.

As for O'Donnell, she's out hundreds of dollars and she'll probably never get it back.

"It's just a lack of responsibility. They have a disposable lifestyle," O'Donnell said.

Keep in mind, the hit-and-run numbers are only through October, so they could very well go higher especially with parties and holidays this time of year.

So are you covered if you're involved in a hit and run? What do you need to know? What's required by Colorado law?